Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 872: Finally a Happy Kill

Jingnan,

Lianshan County City,

The city wall was dark red, and the smell of blood was overwhelming. Moreover, the Taiping sect members began to clean up the corpses under the city. This tragic scene made Sect Leader Chu feel only a little sad.
Standing on the top of the city wall, looking at the thick smoke billowing towards the north, rising straight into the sky, he felt a little sad. Although Wang Ziteng was cautious, he still had the necessary courage. He set fire to the camp and blocked the pursuit. At least half of the soldiers returned. He was one step too slow in plotting against Daliang City.
Still need to try,
Just as he was thinking about it, messengers came rushing in from all directions.

"Report, Master Chu, the Left Protector has reported that the imperial army has collapsed and burned down the camp to block the retreat. The prince's troops who came to support have taken advantage of the situation and returned. The Left Protector has assembled 100,000 troops, and the 50,000 slave soldiers brought by Protector Du have begun to take a detour to pursue the imperial army. Master Chu, please make sure to transport food from the county city."

"Report, Master Chu, the people who followed East City are back. The Crown Prince has already gathered with the reinforcement army, about 80,000 troops, and have begun to retreat to Weizhou. The former protectors have begun to clean up the battlefield, and it is estimated that more than 100,000 sets of armor will be collected."

"Report, Master Chu, the city's government warehouses are intact. According to preliminary estimates, half of them are still available. The government warehouses are almost intact, which is enough for the army to meet its needs for three years."

Good news came one after another, but unfortunately, there was not much smile on the face of the leader Chu. The former prince and the White Lotus Sect were almost not good men and women. The gentleman's agreement was fulfilled. As long as the imperial court troops did not return, I am afraid that they would not be so compatible with each other.

There is still some gloom in my heart. After the failure this time, will the imperial court really not send troops again? After all, the Beijing camp’s army did not go out, so what about the tyrant emperor in the capital?
"Send an order to Wei Siyuan to speed up the cleanup of the battlefield and bring back all the armor and arrows. Also, order Zuo Ling to launch a tentative siege on Daliang City and act accordingly."

Chu Yiyue stroked his beard. As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. These life-saving food must not be left here. Thinking of what the prince had done, it was thanks to the backup plan left by his teacher, Yu Shiyuan, the governor of Jingnan.

"Order Du Shaoqing to lead the army back and start moving food and other supplies to Linyuefu. Move as much as you can and replenish the granaries of various states along the way. Finally, let He Qiang stay in Linshan County to select young and strong men to form a 150,000-man defense army to make up for the consumption of this battle. Oh, and let some refugees go to Linyuefu to farm and use the lake water to ensure autumn grain."

"Yes, Master Chu."

Many messengers, with fanatical eyes, knelt on the ground and then went down the city wall.

As soon as people leave,
Fu Wenshu, who was following beside him, asked in confusion;
"Master Chu, we have already defeated the imperial army heading south, why do we need to evacuate?"

Others couldn't understand, but Fu Shuwen had followed Master Chu for many years, so how could he not understand Master Chu's thoughts? He seemed to be defending Linshan County City, but in fact he had withdrawn all his strength to Linyue Mansion in the hinterland. After all, there was a shortage of food in the south of Beijing, and where the food was, there were the people.
"Shuwen, I don't want to leave, I have to. My sect seems to have captured the county city, but it is just a chance to catch our breath so that we can calmly deploy in the south. Weizhou and Chenzhou have been hit by drought for a long time and have no harvest. They can't even support people. Although Linshan County is good, the court will not give up and will definitely raise troops to the south again. How can we fight another battle? Therefore, stabilizing the situation in Linyue Mansion is the most important thing. With the natural barrier of Fallen Leaf Valley, we can still maneuver."

Chu Yi Yue had already thought about the future. If the imperial court sent troops south again, it would definitely be a big deal. It was possible that the world-famous Marquis Luo Yun would be the commander. Although he was young, he had real combat experience. He was not like Wang Ziteng who only talked about war on paper. His strategy was to prepare for a joint expedition again and fight a decisive battle in Linshan County.

Therefore, the retreat route is still in Linyue Mansion. If we cannot defend it, we can retreat to Lingdong County. This is a later story.
Fu Shuwen's face was filled with horror. He didn't expect that Master Chu could see so far. But this shouldn't be the case. Aren't there still the prince and the people from the White Lotus Sect?
"Master Chu, that noble has many elite soldiers, as well as the mysterious White Lotus Sect. If the imperial army marches south again, why not join forces with them to attack them together? As long as the imperial army in the capital suffers too much loss, maybe, maybe."

Fu Shuwen was suddenly speechless, thinking of the White Lotus Sect's surprise attack on Qiongshan County, the prince's seizure of Lingxi County, and the Sect Leader's capture of Lingdong County. The three counties were connected together, forming a pincer attack. I'm afraid they had already arranged their own retreat.
"Haha, Shuwen, we can unite, but we are sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams, and each has his own thoughts. How can we fight this war?"

Chu Yi Yue laughed, looked up and sighed, then turned around and walked down the city wall.

"This"

"Quick, retreat quickly, the entire army speeds up."

The official road to Daliang City was almost entirely filled with imperial soldiers. Not to mention the flags and banners, even the armor and weapons were scattered all over the ground. Only the 20,000 soldiers under the command of Jiedushi Lu maintained their formation for the time being and walked at the end. The rest, including the soldiers from Hexi and Hedong counties, had already been scattered and had no morale. Most of them were killed or wounded in the half hour of resistance. Dong Dawang and Peng Shiying were not only humiliated, but also extremely shocked. What kind of battle was it? They were defeated in the blink of an eye.
The central army had clearly broken through the formation and was about to capture the bandit leader.
"Brother Peng, what happened? They lost so quickly. What's the use of Hu Le? He has elite troops under his command. He can't even hold the left and right wings. No matter how many soldiers there are on the opposite side, they need to be tied up. Who asked them to charge into the battle?"

There were some ashes on Dong Dawang's face, and a piece of his clothes was burned by the fire. In addition, his armor was torn. He was just a defeated general.

Looking at General Peng beside him, he was in the same state, sitting on his horse, panting, watching his defeated troops. The nearly 30,000 troops he brought with him were now only a little over 10,000. How could he explain to his eldest brother when he returned?

"Why do you still mention those two? They are stubborn and self-righteous, relying on their military achievements. They are arrogant. After the fight ended like this, let alone military achievements, I don't know how to explain to the court when I return. I feel sorry for my brother. I only have 25,000 soldiers and horses left, but not even half of them are left. How can I explain to my elder brother when I return?"

When talking about his eldest brother, his face was full of guilt. Dong Da Wang's face darkened when he heard that. It was the same. He thought it would be much better to return to the city. Looking at the soldiers of Daliang City behind him, they still maintained their formation. This time, Jiedushi Lu suffered extremely heavy losses. He should be the one who felt distressed.

Seeing that the official road was filled with retreating soldiers and horses, the remaining ones were Kang Mengyu, Wang Ren, and the cavalry led by Jia Lian, following at the end.

He also scattered scouts behind him to prevent the enemy from pursuing him again. The fire behind him was burning more and more vigorously with the help of the wind. The thick smoke blocked the road. It was likely that no pursuers would be able to come for a while.

However, the three of them were extremely shocked by the battle. They could say that they had fought for a whole day and were still honored in defeat. But defeat was defeat.
If the imperial court knew about this, it would not know how to react.

"Brother Kang, big brother, after this battle, how should we respond?"

The three men rode side by side, with Wang Ren walking in the middle. Hearing what Jia Lian said, he was a little confused for a moment. He had thought that he would win the battle, defeat the enemy, and then be awarded a title for his military merits. However, he had never expected that the battlefield would be so unpredictable. The right wing, led by General He and his men, were the first to be defeated, and even the central army had to come to their rescue. What about his uncle who was defeated so badly? In the Beijing camp, without his uncle's help, how could he lead two elite camps of troops?

"Now we have to return to Daliang City and hold on fortress until reinforcements arrive. We are afraid that the enemy will continue to move north after the fire is extinguished. That will be the most dangerous time. The defenders will have no morale, so how can they defend the city?"

Seeing Wang Ren walking in front without saying a word, Kang Mengyu's subordinates fought sporadically and suffered minimal casualties, but arrows were indiscriminate on the battlefield and they also suffered a lot of losses. Now, he was most worried about the army returning to the city. Not to mention the combat power of the Taiping Sect, the gap in numbers could not be made up. If he did not want to boost morale, it would be difficult to defend the city.
"What do you think, Brother Meng Yu?"

Wang Ren was unwilling to give in, so he turned around and asked,
"Brother Wang, you must immediately lead 3,000 cavalrymen and catch up with the military commander. Go back to Daliang City first and prepare food for them. When the army returns to the camp, it is most important to rest and restore morale. Tell the military commander and the military governor Lu to report to the capital 600 miles away and request reinforcements. As for me and Brother Lian, lead the army to delay the enemy. After all, they have a lot of arrows."

Kang Mengyu also held his breath. If he had not stayed in the main camp in the final moments and led the cavalry to charge earlier, would he have been the first to break through the enemy formation? In this way, the situation would have been reversed. Unfortunately, the die was cast and it would be useless to kill any more. But it was not a complete failure either. Cavalry was not to be used in this way.

Seeing that Kang Mengyu wanted to strike back, Jia Lian was extremely reluctant. He had finally escaped, and now he had to go back. He looked up at his eldest brother, wanting him to refuse, but his eldest brother nodded.

"Okay, since Brother Meng Yu is speaking out for justice, I cannot refuse. In this matter, you and Brother Lian will lead the army to stop the enemy. I will go ahead and escort the general and the governor Lu back to the city. You must be careful."

"Yes, General Wang."

Having said this, Jia Lian smiled bitterly. He couldn't disagree. He clasped his fists and followed Kang Mengyu's response. Seeing this, Wang Ren immediately shouted;
"Thank you very much, brothers. Come here, lead two thousand cavalrymen and move forward quickly. Go!"

"Yes, General Wang, go ahead."

There was a sound of horse hooves, and Wang Ren led his troops and hurried forward.
Jia Lian and Kang Mengyu were left to watch him go. Before Jia Lian could come to his senses, Kang Mengyu spoke;
"Brother Lian, you lead 13,000 soldiers to ambush on the left, and I will lead 15,000 soldiers to the right. When the enemy's vanguard arrives here, I will lead the army to rain arrows and then charge. When they are frightened and run towards you,

Kang Mengyu's eyes flashed, and she stared into Jia Lian's eyes. Jia Lian sighed in his heart and replied seriously;
"Don't worry, Meng Yu. When the enemy army approaches, I will do the same. Lead the army to attack and kill them. Withdraw as quickly as possible, and they will not dare to break out and pursue us again."

The method is very simple and should be very effective. As long as the cavalry is on both sides of the official road, no matter how many infantry the enemy has, they dare not move. However, the food and grass have been burned out, and they can only hold out until the afternoon at most.
After the two men had made up their minds, they each led their troops down the official road and set up an ambush on the gentle slopes on both sides.

Speaking of the southern camp,

The fire was raging. The former prince ambushed the army. Seeing the imperial army defeated, he did not even say a word. Chai Qing led his troops back. This departure made the left protector angry. Unfortunately, he was far away and could not go over to negotiate.
However, the slope was still passable, so he immediately gave the order;

"Zhou Xiu, lead 1 troops, bypass the gentle slope on the right, and lead the army to go ahead. I, the Dharma Protector, will follow behind."

"Yes, Dharma Protector." Zhou Xiu immediately organized his troops and led 30,000 soldiers to go first. Then, without waiting for the order from Master Chu, Zuo Ling sent someone to inform Dharma Protector Du and then led 100,000 soldiers to go together, which made Dharma Protector Du look a little unhappy.
"The Right and Left Guardians are clearly arrogant. They have not waited for the order from Sect Leader Chu, but have gone their own way and led their troops away. They want to take the credit."

Han Douming, the leader of the Five Elements Banner, was indignant. If it weren't for Zuo Ling's status, how could he have been promoted to the Left Protector? Now he is even more arrogant and domineering. These soldiers are not the Left Protector's.

But Du Hufa shook his head and criticized;
"You are a man of few words. How can you discuss the affairs of the sect? If he wants to go, let him go. You take the people to clean up the battlefield, strip off the armor and bring it back, and then immediately organize the army and replenish the troops. This protector thinks that Daliang City cannot be taken."

Although Du Shaoqing is a bit cruel, he is good at seeking benefits and avoiding harm. No one in the sect can compare to him. Although Chu Jiaozhu has prestige, the leader is even more unfathomable. Zuo Ling may be the spy sent by the leader.
Han Douming's face turned pale, and he lowered his head quickly when he thought of the fear.

"Yes, Guardian Du, I was too reckless,"

Seeing that the left protector had led his troops to bypass the enemy, the number of soldiers around him immediately decreased.
"Hurry, throw the body into the fire first, then take off the armor."

"Yes, Flag Master,"

The 20,000 soldiers under his command began to clean up the battlefield.
north,

Zhou Xiu led more than 30,000 troops, and after a detour, he took the official road and quickly went north to pursue. After all, they were wearing light armor and marched fast.
They were just walking in a hurry. The scouts sent out in front were not far from those behind, but time was urgent and Zhou Xiu didn't care about that.

After chasing for a while,
When they reached the bottom of the gentle slope, everything was quiet. On the official road, weapons and armor were scattered all over the ground, and even the flags were stuck diagonally on the ground. The army was defeated like this, and they left in a hurry, so they hurried;

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"Run, the first one to catch up will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins."

Under Zhou Xiu's shouting, the team ran faster, but the formation was scattered, which was not a big deal.

It was at this time,
At the bottom of the slope, Kang Mengyu heard the noise and immediately opened his narrowed eyes.

"Liang Fei, tell the brothers to draw their bows and arrows, and then charge forward,"

"Yes, General."

Liang Fei's eyes were filled with excitement. The opportunity was right in front of him. If he could really make a contribution, he would be able to command the imperial guards and internal guards.

: "Raise the bow, move forward a hundred steps, scatter, and release."

"Go on! Release."

Seeing three rounds of arrows being shot out, Kang Mengyu immediately drew out his long sword;

"Brothers, fight your way out,"

"Kill!"

There was a shout and the rumble of horse hooves. From behind the gentle slope, more than 10,000 cavalrymen charged, making the pursuers on the official road look pale. Just three rounds of arrow rain caught them off guard. Before they could adjust their formation, the enemy rushed over.
Zhou Xiu looked anxious and shouted;

"Enemy attack! Form a circle,"

Seeing that time was running out, he immediately ordered his men to form a circle to prepare for the cavalry charge. However, just as he finished speaking,

There was a sparse forest behind him. Jia Lian did not wait, but raised his hand and asked the cavalrymen who had been waiting for a long time to draw their bows and arrows.

"Release the arrows,"

"Whoosh whoosh!"

Another hail of arrows came from behind. The already panicked Taiping rebel army was attacked from behind. They had just formed a circle, but it immediately dispersed. In just a moment, the 30,000-strong army was scattered like headless flies.
However, the cavalry led by Kang Mengyu in the east had already rushed to the front, swung their long swords, and killed the enemy, causing them to fall to the ground. Zhou Xiu's eyes were red, and he drew his long sword.

"Brothers in the church, fight your way out. Kill."

"Kill."

With shouts, the Taiping Sect members actually turned around and fought back. Suddenly, the two black lines fought each other, and the screams and shouts of killing shook the sky.

After a while,

The blood dyed the official road red,

When Jia Lian saw that the enemy had not fled, he was afraid that Kang Mengyu would be in danger, so he immediately led his troops to support them, rushed out of the woods, and cut into the rear of the Taiping Sect. At this time, even Zhou Xiu's personal soldiers were fighting with swords, especially when they saw the chief cavalry commander of the imperial court here, Zhou Xiu shouted loudly;
"I am the Left Protector, Hall Master Zhou Xiu. May I ask who the general is?"

Jia Lian was once again swept in. Before he could come to his senses, he saw a ferocious bandit general leading his troops to block the way. Although he was timid in his heart, there were not many people who could match Jia Lian's words. He drew out his long sword, snorted coldly,
"I am just a hall master. Even if you come here to protect me, you can't escape. It is better for you to surrender and I will spare your lives."

"I'm so angry, look at the knife,"

Zhou Xiu didn't care about anything at this time, he rushed forward with his sword and soldiers. Jia Lian's eyes widened, and he cursed in his heart, shouldn't we just exchange a few words, why are you in such a hurry? In a panic, he waved his hand, and the troops behind him rushed forward and started fighting with the opposite side.

In less than an incense stick of time, 30,000 Taiping sect members suffered heavy casualties. Although the imperial court soldiers also suffered casualties, they had no intention of defeating the enemy, so the losses were minimal. They wanted to kill them all, but unfortunately, the army led by Zuo Ling appeared on the official road, deployed their battle formations, and slowly approached.

Jia Lian watched from behind the battle line. He did not see any fighting, but he saw everything that happened on the battlefield. He also saw what was happening on the official road. The enemy reinforcements had arrived, so it was time to withdraw.

Shout out,
"All troops retreat, retreat!"

At the command, the army immediately left the battlefield and retreated northward. Following them, Kang Mengyu, whose face was covered in blood, laughed happily.
"Ahahaha, Brother Lian, what a joyful kill!"

Jia Lian looked back and saw corpses all over the ground, blood everywhere, and wounded soldiers lying there wailing. How could he feel happy? However, he had won once, and the tension in his heart was relieved a lot.
"Yes, it's great, but the enemy army is strong and there are many reinforcements coming. Meng Yu, return to the camp quickly, go!"

"drive!"

(End of this chapter)